theory

A description of an event or system that is considered to be accurate.

(sciences) A coherent statement or set of ideas that explains observed facts or phenomena and correctly predicts new facts or phenomena not previously observed, or which sets out the laws and principles of something known or observed; a hypothesis confirmed by observation, experiment etc.

(uncountable) The underlying principles or methods of a given technical skill, art etc., as opposed to its practice.

(mathematics) A field of study attempting to exhaustively describe a particular class of constructs.

A hypothesis or conjecture.

(countable, logic) A set of axioms together with all statements derivable from them; or, a set of statements which are deductively closed. Equivalently, a formal language plus a set of axioms (from which can then be derived theorems). The statements may be required to all be bound (i.e., to have no free variables).

(obsolete) Mental conception; reflection, consideration.